Pure
Ratings7
Average rating3.4
15
Ratings7
Average rating3.4
Deep in the heart of Paris, its oldest cemetery is, by 1785, overflowing, tainting the very breath of those who live nearby. Into their midst comes Jean-Baptiste Baratte, a young, provincial engineer charged by the king with demolishing it.
At first Baratte sees this as a chance to clear the burden of history, a fitting task for a modern man of reason. But before long, he begins to suspect that the destruction of the cemetery might be a prelude to his own.
Reviews with the most likes.
I am in love with Andrew Miller's writing. I could not stop listening (Audible). It is a lesson for me in how to write a character-driven novel and steep the reader in the world itself.
This book promised a lot but failed to deliver. I enjoyed it, but felt there was so much more it could have given in terms of plot and character development, a Guardian book review puts it well: “It is disappointing, given the vitality of the novel's setting and set-up, that Miller fails to achieve corresponding dynamism in the development of plot and character”.
Disappointing overall, although the descriptions of place in both smell and sight were very good.
